Good and not so good Brent news

A sunny day after a cloudy start, although there was heavy rain in the evening. A light south wind.

North shore

Janet checked out from the Sunnyslopes around high water and managed to read three Orange flagged Knot.

Knot

I checked the skear as the tide was ebbing (Malcolm). There were over 3,000 Knot until 500 left to NW after a Peregrine attack. They were feeding on shrimps, which meant their legs were in the water for much of the time. These are Knot and Redshank shrimping.

Shrimps are packed with protein and the Knot don't have to feed for very long periods. Instead they rested for long periods making finding any flagged ones difficult. Even so some new birds for this winter were seen.

Oystercatcher 1,500

Curlew 40

Dunlin 30

Redshank 250

Turnstone 35 - the Turnstone turned their nose up to shrimping and stuck to their tried and tested feeding technique.

Pale-bellied Brent goose 28 minimum, they were scattered all around the skear and some higher up the shore. The good news is that the two ringed Canadian arctic birds were with them. This is their first record on this side of the bay this winter.

Ringed as a breeding pair at Axel Heiberg Island Canada in 2014.
They have been seen at Heysham every winter since then. It's a long way!

Unfortunately this Brent is missing its left foot. Otherwise it looks
to be healthy enough

Eider 8

Wigeon 2

Wigeon and Brent geese